Free-standing household shelf arrangement

ABSTRACT

A free-standing household shelf arrangement which includes a plurality of supporting columns arranged vertically and in horizontally spaced relationship to each other each of which comprises hollow individual supports having their ends provided with closure caps while each two adjacent closure caps have interposed therewith shelf means which are connected to the supports by connecting members invisible from the outside.

Jan.25, 1972 United States Patent Lange S T N m m w W N U lOS/I l4 .......l03/|Il Ferdinand et al..................2l l/l48 X Leconte.....................v...........

t M m h c S r e t e P 267 266 999 Ill 067 l [72] Inventor: Joachim Lange,Karlsruhe-Waldstadt,Ger- "431x23 many 3,255,721 3,332,374

[73] Assignee: Karl Kubel Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Worms, Germany Mar. 30, 1970 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 535,475 2/I955 Belgium [22] Filed:

Primary Exuminer.lamcs C. Milchcll Attorney-Walter Becker [21] Appl. No.:

ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Application Priority Data side.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEU M25197 sum 3 OF 3 Imam/0r.-

FREE-STANDING HOUSEHOLD SHELF ARRANGEMENT The present invention concerns a free-standing household shelf arrangement with vertical supporting columns consisting of superimposed individual supports of a predetermined length while at the connecting areas of two superimposed individual supports, shelves are adapted to be mounted.

Household shelf arrangements, which, in most instances, come in a do-it-yourself" package, are known in various designs and combinations. As a rule, such household shelf arrangements consist of continuous supports or ladders in which the shelves or boards are either suspended or screwed. In most instances, such shelves, for purposes of obtaining sufficient stability, additionally require diagonal struts or the like. If such shelf arrangements, however, consist of supports to be superimposed upon each other, they all have the drawback that in view of the loose connection, the individual shelves or boards are absolutely fixed but never can easily be detached from their anchors by an accidental push.

With one of the heretofore known household shelf arrangements sold in a do-it-yourseli" package, the supporting columns to be superimposed upon each other are by means of a cast body adapted to be inserted into the ends of the individual supports to be connected, frictionally connected to each other. Such frictional connection, however, can never assure an absolutely firm mounting. In addition thereto, this cast body has to be precisely adapted to the respective bracing conditions of the shelf system inasmuch as it simultaneously serves as support for shelves or boards which may have to be mounted. Therefore, when buying the individual parts, the shelf arrangement has to be precisely preplanned with regard to its shape and all connecting parts, which requires a high spatial imagination which generally cannot be assumed to be possessed by a layman. Furthermore, with such cast bodies to be adapted to the respective bracing conditions, there exists the necessity when changing the shelf arrangement or adding thereto, of having to replace some cast bodies by new differently shaped cast bodies.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a free-standing household shelf arrangement suitable for a do-it-yourself" system, which will assure an absolutely firm connection between two superimposed individual supports while simultaneously with the connection of two individual supports, the connection of the shelves or boards is to be effected.

It is another object of this invention to provide a household shelf arrangement as set forth in the preceding paragraph in which the connection of the individual supports to each other and also with the corresponding shelves or boards will be effected almost invisibly so that the shelf arrangement will have a pleasing appearance.

A still further object of this invention consists in providing a household shelf arrangement as set forth above, in which the combination and adding possibilities can be realized in a simple manner while the cost of the shelf arrangement will be low.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates the connection according to the invention of superimposed individual supports.

FIG. 2 shows the connection of a sidewall part with a shelf or board.

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the IIIIII of Fig. 2.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a built-up shelf arrangement to the present invention.

The household shelf arrangement according to the present invention with vertical supporting columns composed of superimposed individual supports of predetermined length, is characterized primarily in that the hollow individual supports have their two ends provided with closure caps, while the two closure caps arranged opposite to each other at a connecting area are, in an invisible manner, adapted to be braced relative to each other by the interposition of shelves or boards.

In this way, a pull-resistant connection not only of superimposed individual supports but also of the individual supports with the pertaining shelves or boards will be assured. This is due to the fact that the shelves or boards which, at the connecting area of two individual supports, are introduced from two sides to the central plane of .the supporting column, are braced simultaneously and together with the two adjacent individual supports. A further considerable advantage obtained by the present invention is seen in the fact that in view of the extremely pull-resistant connection of individual supporting columns with regard to each other and also of the supporting columns with the adjacent shelves or boards, there is obtained a high precision as to measures of the household shelf system according to the invention. In this connection, it has proved advantageous to effect the connection or bracing of two oppositely located closure caps of superimposed individual supports by the employment of screws while the width over flats or gauge of the connecting screw must be less than its shank diameter because only with such feature it is possible to tighten or loosen the screw which .by means of the closure cap is held at an end of an individual support, through the thread bore of the closure cap which is located at the other end and which pertains to the same individual support. For purposes of securing the location of the individual supports with regard to the adjacent shelves or boards, the latter are expediently provided with cutouts into which the ends of the individual supports extend. These cutouts are provided at all four comers of a shelf or board so that such shelf or board will be completely symmetrical and, similar to the pull-resistant screw connection of two individual supports, will be completely independent of the respective prevailing installing and bracing conditions.

In view of the pull-resistant bracing or connection of the individual supporting columns and of the shelves or boards, there exists the possibility of inserting side or back wall portions between superimposed shelves, which side or back wall portions rest by means of spring-urged pins or the like against the upper and the lower adjacent shelf or board so that not only these individual inserted wall portions will be given a firm hold, but also the strength and stability of the entire shelf system will be greatly increased. This possibility was lacking with heretofore known shelf systems of the general type involved because superimposed shelves or boards could not be connected to each other in a pull-resistant manner and with the necessary fit.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the reference numeral l designates an individual support the ends of which are provided with closure caps 2 and 3, which closure caps are in pairs connected to each other by means of a screw 4. Each shelf or board is composed of two parts 5 and 6 while in the part 5 there are provided cutouts7 for securing the individual supports 1 as to their position.

As will furthermore be seen from Fig. 1, one of the two closure caps, in this instance closure cap 2, is provided with a thread, whereas the other closure cap 3 has a bore. Both closure caps 2 and 3 may, for instance, by spot welding or hard soldering, be connected to the individual support 1. In this connection, it is, however, to be noted that the insertion of the connecting screw 4 into the bore of the closure cap 3 has to be effected prior to connecting the closure cap 3 to the individual support. In order to prevent the connecting screw 4 from slipping out of the closure cap 3, screw 4 is expediently held in the closure cap in such a way that it cannot be lost. In the particular example shown in the drawing, the individual supports are formed by hollow square or four-cornered profiles so that for purposes of securing the same in the shelves, corresponding cutouts 7 are provided.

The connection of two superimposed individual supports is effected in such a way that first two shelves or boards which abut against each other in the central plane shown in Fig. l are placed upon the lower support in such a way that the shelves or boards are within the cutouts 7 carried by the lower individual support. Thereupon the upper individual support is mounted while that end in which the connecting screw 4 is guided is inserted into the upper cutouts 7 of the two shelves.

The connecting screw 4 also extends through two oppositely located semicylindrical bores which when putting together two shelves form a passage. The screw 4 can, by means of a tool which is introduced through the threaded bore of the closure cap at the upper end of the mounted individual support, be threadedly connected to the closure cap of the lower individual support so that an extremely pull-resistant and rigid connection between the individual supports and the shelves will be assured. The connecting screw 4 may, for instance, be of the inner hexagonal type or may be designed as a cross slot screw. in this connection, it is merely important that the width between the two sides of this connecting screw, which sides are grasped by the wrench, is less than the shank diameter of the screw so that the tool for tightening or loosening of this connecting screw can be passed through the threaded bore at the other end of the individual support.

The shelves or boards may in the simplest instance consist of a single integral piece, or if particular emphasis is placed upon saving of weight, may be composed of two parts 5 and 6. in this instance, part 5 is expediently provided with ribs to increase its strength or rigidity. The connection of the part 6 forming a closure plate to the shelf 5 proper can be effected by a slight clamping action.

Fig. 2 shows the connection of a sidewall part 8, 9 to a lower shelf 5 as it is possible with shelves or boards fixedly connected above each other. The wall part 8 is provided with a bore in which a spring 11 has its upper end clamped in, whereas its lower end carries a pin engaging a bore 12 of the adjacent shelf as soon as the sidewall part may consist of a single integral piece or may be composed of two pieces 8 and 9.

Fig. 4 shows an assembled household shelf arrangement according to the invention which comprises open shelves, book shelves with sidewalls 8, 9, cupboards 14, smaller closable cupboards 13 and drawers l5 and 16. The drawer and cupboard combinations shown in Fig. 4, which represent a further considerable advantage of the invention, may later without disassembly of the supporting columns be removed or may be arranged in any other desired manner.

The shelves or boards may consist of wood, metal, synthetic material or synthetic wood, whereas the individual supports preferably consist of welded square of four-comered tubes of steel or of light metal.

If a very pull-resistant connection of the individual supports and the shelves with regard to each other is not too important, there exists, of course, the possibility rigidly to connect the connecting screws 4 to the individual supports which in this instance would have a round cross-sectional shape, and to obtain the desired connection of the individual supports by a simple turning of the respective mounted support so that the necessity of a wrench for tightening or loosening the connecting screw would be superfluous. If it is desired to insert a shelf or board between two superimposed individual supports, only from one side, a cover strip is inserted from the other side, which cover strip is, similar to a shelf or board, provided with cutouts and makes possible a uniform bracing of the two superimposed individual supports and also a neat closure of the shelf or board.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular constructions shown in the drawings but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. in a free-standing household shelf arrangement which includes a plurality of supporting columns arranged vertically and in horizontally spaced relationship to each other, each of the supporting columns including at least two vertically superimposed individual supports to which shelf means are secured respectively and which at connecting locations are stressed by screw bolt means between individual supporting columns and at oppositely located ends thereof are hollow, the improvement therewith which comprises: closure cap means for the hollow ends and at least one of said closure cap means having a threaded portion complementary to the screw bolt means, a head portion of said screw bolt means being externally accessible and engageable against closure cap means at joined supporting columns, means forming a threadless through bore for the screw bolt means in said shelf means, a pot-formed annular portion of each closure cap means being concentric about axis of screw bolt means and being engageable against the shelf means, and a face portion of said closure cap means located exclusively at approximately right angle to said screw bolt means and axis thereof with respect to support axis.

2. In a shelf arrangement according to claim 1, in which widths over flats of hexagonal nut means of said screw bolt means are smaller than shank diameter thereof and each support is formed by a hollow tube.

3. In a shelf arrangement according to claim I, in which cutout-forming means are provided by said shelf means preferably in complementary fitting relationship with ends of supports and in location-assuring engagement with edges of said closure cap means.

4. In a shelf arrangement according to claim I, in which said pot-formed annular portion of each closure cap means peripherally engages inside surface of ends of individual supports.

5. in a shelf arrangement according to claim 1, in which said closure cap means and individual supports are interconnected by spot welding, brazing, hard soldering and the like.

6. In a shelf arrangement according to claim 1, in which insertable wall portions are provided between shelf means arranged in stacked relation, bore-forming means located in said shelf means, and resilient studs that snap into fitting relationship with said bore-forming means located in said shelf means and into engagement with said insertable wall portions. 

1. In a free-standing household shelf arrangement which includes a plurality of supporting columns arranged vertically and in horizontally spaced relationship to each other, each of the supporting columns including at least two vertically superimposed individual supports to which shelf means are secured respectively and which at connecting locations are stressed by screw bolt means between individual supporting columns and at oppositely located ends thereof are hollow, the improvement therewith which comprises: closure cap means for the hollow ends and at least one of said closure cap means having a threaded portion complementary to the screw bolt means, a head portion of said screw bolt means being externally accessible and engageable against closure cap means at joined supporting columns, means forming a threadless through bore for the screw bolt means in said shelf means, a potformed annular portion of each closure cap means being concentric about axis of screw bolt means and being engageable against the shelf means, and a face portion of said closure cap means located exclusively at approximately right angle to said screw bolt means and axis thereof with respect to support axis.
 2. In a shelf arrangement according to claim 1, in which widths over flats of hexagonal nut means of said screw bolt means are smaller than shank diameter thereof and each support is formed by a hollow tube.
 3. In a shelf arrangement according to claim 1, in which cutout-forming means are provided by said shelf means preferably in complementary fitting relationship with ends of supports and in location-assuring engagement with edges of said closure cap means.
 4. In a shelf arrangement according to claim 1, in which said pot-formed annular portion of each closure cap means peripherally engages inside surface of ends of individual supports.
 5. In a shelf arrangement according to claim 1, in which said closure cap means and individual supports are interconnected by spot welding, brazing, hard soldering and the like.
 6. In a shelf arrangement according to claim 1, in which insertable wall portions are provided between shelf means arranged in stacked relation, bore-forming means located in said shelf means, and resilient studs that snap into fitting relationship with said bore-forming means located in said shelf means and into engagement with said insertable wall portions. 